A calm finish from Brendon Santalab ended the Wanderers' agonising hoodoo against Sydney as they claimed their first win in a derby in more than three years.

In a season where Western Sydney have failed to find results on the back of impressive performances, they finally got one they may not have clearly deserved - but that mattered little to a set of supporters who celebrated at the final whistle as if their team had just won silverware.

A team that was eyeing ending the season undefeated were left frustrated after being denied four penalty claims in a match they started in fourth gear but finished in reverse. It was a battle that began like a race between a Maserati and a Fiat. Sydney FC cut through the Wanderers' midfield with class, fluidity and ease to create chances that were met with little reply.

With the Wanderers defence chasing shadows, Sky Blues captain Alex Brosque was the first to test Vedran Janjetovic when he forced a fine save from his former teammate with a long-range shot.

Brosque should have opened the scoring three minutes later when latching on to yet another free-flowing move but fired narrowly wide.

Midway through the first half, the home fans were bracing themselves for another derby disaster before the Wanderers showed a hint of life on the counter. When the ball landed at the feet of Nico Martinez in the 25th minute, the Wanderers thought they were about to stun Sydney against the run of play, only for his shot to be deemed deflected high from a late challenge.

They had to wait a matter of seconds more though to shock their rivals, who were far too relaxed in defending the resulting set piece. From the second phase, Brendon Santalab was left alone inside the box and in ignoring the Wanderers' most dangerous man, Sydney deserved to be punished.

His first time pirouette gave him room and time to shoot, and the veteran made no mistake, drawing a raucous celebration when he found the back of the net, a move that injected life and belief into a team in need of both.

The Sky Blues went from feeling stunned to frustrated when referee Chris Beath waved away their strong penalty claim after Santalab brought down Milos Ninkovic in the box in the 43rd minute. Replays suggested the matter wasn't clear-cut.

Sydney's desperation saw Bernie Ibini injected into the match early and a nervous clearance from Jack Clisby was all that denied the substitute an early equaliser.

Sydney felt aggrieved not be given another penalty on the resulting corner. The ball appeared to have struck the arm of Clisby, who had his arm in a natural position, referee Beath waving play-on.

When Terry Antonis came close to scoring against his former club from a free-kick, there was only so much pressure both clubs could sustain in front of 44,843 passionate fans and calm gave way to chaos. Soon after, Sydney's Jordy Buijs deliberately stood on Martinez's arm, igniting tensions.

A foul on Ninkovic sparked a wild melee in the middle of the ground and when play eventually restored, Sydney's playmaker again found himself with a target on his back. A nasty challenge from behind by Santalab earned him a yellow card while the Serbian playmaker was fortunate to escape a serious injury.

Amid the frenzy, Nichols should have sealed the win for the Wanderers in the 79th minute with a close-range finish, but a spectacular reflex save by Danny Vukovic gave Sydney a glimmer of hope. They thought they had finally found a break through minutes from time when Bobo barged his way through on goal and the resulting half-hearted penalty claim was again rejected by the referee.

Sydney's fourth claim was definitely their strongest, after Brosque was brought down inside the box during injury time yet they found the same answer from Beath, who responded by taking a long hard think before shaking his head.

The Maserati broke down, smoke puffing out of its engine like the steam from Brosque's ears while the Fiat at the start of the match finished like a Ferrari, Western Sydney claiming their first win over Sydney FC in 1134 days.